Thursday, May 19, 2011

Studio Update

I have been busy in the studio this week! I've decided from now on to sketch up and do my whole paintings in oils, no more acrylic under painting (except for a coloured ground, like gesso but not white).

I've started some painting studies, one of a pomegranate and the other of a child with a pomegranate hat. The goal of these paintings is to understand the forms and make my imagery three dimensional through use of tone and and colour. It's been all about observing and getting the key elements in. I'm wanting to be very loose and gestural with my brush marks, yet descriptive and representational. Here is how these studies are coming along.

I have also started a bigger painting, with the 'Fruit Head Royalty Birds' theme. I'm not sure where the 'bird' part of the series will come in, maybe a little birdie on her shoulder, maybe she could have a beak mask? This will come to me as I work on the painting. Here is the under painting so far.

Below is my palette. after painting the above images, as you can see, I am running out of mixing room! I'm curious how everyone else keeps their palette, and what colours they use to paint with. What does your palette look like?

I've been using the basic skin tone recipe for Caucasian (warm tones) from Walter Fosters portrait recipe book. For all of you that don't have the book, it as followed (I'm paraphrasing):